Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-04-07
John II. Mckenzie Hanged by Masked
Men at Corning, Iowa.
The Tardiness OF the Courts Given as
an Excuse for the Terrible
Deed,

Corning, April A crowd of about
100 masked men battered down the doors
OF our jail about . o'clock yesterday
morning, oyerpowered Deputy Sheriff
Pumroy and took John III, Mckenzie, tho
murderer Of John II. Riggs. and hanged
him TO u maple tree just opposite the
Jail. All approaches to the Jail and court
house were guarded by masked pickeis
About one hour was tho time occupied
from forcing the entrance until the deed
was done. Any Of our citizens who were
on tho streets ut this early hour, either
ON errands or account OF sickness. or at
tracted thither by the noise Of the bat
tering ram, We're promptly halted and II
guard placed over them. The commands
were given and movements made with
military precision. The captain had Ger,
tainly seen service rs Indicated by his
commands while mounted on a good
horse, His aid'de.camp, whoever he
was knew well his work. He, too. was
mounted. and could be plainly seen by
those Of our people under guard, gallon
ing along the picket limo with orders
from his chief The men were dcsigual
cd by number, Orders were given In u
commanding tone aud obcycd with
alacrity.
After the hanging the masked men loft
town, except about six Of the guard,
who on receiving n signal, two pistol
shots In quick succession. quickly dis
appeared In the dimncss Of early day,
break, leaving the body OF Mckenzie
hanging 10 the tree.
Deputy Sheriff Pumroy. assisted BY
Frank Parker and John Fillman, cut the
body down and carried II into tho corrld
or OF the court house, where IL now lies,
Hundreds OF our people and many from
miles around are viewing the scene, aud
while they do not endorse mob law many
have expressed sense Of relief that the
end has been reached. The coroner, DR.
Widncr, Is now holding court of Ia
quiry upon tho body. Where To place
the blame for this manifest refusal to
wait and let tho law take Its course, your
correspondent sayeth not, The seeming
hardness Of the blind goddess, or posi-
bly, that portly maple tree has been wat
cred by the Perrigo case dragging in our
courts for the past three years, and Me
Konzie's dead body the bitter fruit
Lnter-The verdict just rendered Is thai
j. III, Mckenzie came TO his death by
strangulation at the hands of Infatuated
parties unknown. caused by the hardness
OF the courts Of justice,
On March 9th last, j. II. Mckenzie, u
farmer and formerly deputy sheriff Of
this county, shot ], II. Riggs, his neigh
Dor farmer OF some means, several
miles north OF this city, with 3s.calibcr
Colts revolver. the ball entering his left
eye and lodging In the back Of his head
The shooting was done In quarrel
between the parties over u certain piece
of land on which Mckenzie wished to
pasture his cattle, the land belonging 10
Riggs, and on part OF which Mckenzie
raised crop Of corn. Mckenzie fired
two shots, the one passing close TO Riggs
head, and the other striking him. After
the shooting Mckenzie came to this city,
sent physician to attend Riggs and then
surrendered himself to Justice Bixby,
who bound him over In the sum Of five
thousand dollars, which was promptly
furnished. The doctor attending Riggs
came in late tho night Of the shooting
with the news that Riggs was dead, and
accordingly Mckenzie was arrested and
sent to Jail. where he had since remain
cd